


Dalliances of a Questionable Nature

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Crossdressing, M/M, Modern AU, Sex Shops, healthy discussions of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 16:10:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4486155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabela takes the gang on an expedition into Kirkwall's infamous sex shop. Anders reveals a surprising weakness for pink handcuffs. Aveline is given several presents she does not want under any circumstances. And Hawke and Fenris have a discussion about their relationship that alleviates a few of Fenris's lingering insecurities. Not necessarily in that order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dalliances of a Questionable Nature

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short and sweet (or spicy?) one-shot I wrote for Fenhawke Week.

“I don’t think I should go in there,” Anders says when their group comes to a halt in front of the mall’s sex shop. It hadn’t been obvious where Isabela was taking them at first, but once they rounded the corner and The Blooming Rose appeared before them, everyone had let out various noises of delight, amusement, and, in Anders’s case, dread.

“Why not?” Hawke asks curiously.

Anders leans in very close and whispers, “I have no self-control.”

Varric laughs. “Don’t worry, Blondie, I’ll hold your hand the whole time.”

“You don’t understand. I’m like Merrill in a candle store!”

Everyone glances at Merrill, who is currently balancing two separate boxes of scented candles in her arms. “You can never have too many candles,” she explains cheerfully.

Anders lets out a pained noise. “My resistance is failing, I can feel it. Oh, Maker, someone stop me!”

A responsible friend would probably have taken his hand and lead him gently towards the nearest sweets shop. Isabela, however, has yet to grasp the concept of responsibility and instead shoves Anders into the store with enough force that he nearly tumbles headfirst into a display of very expensive-looking lingerie.

When he rights himself, Anders points a finger at the group and shouts, “I warned all of you!” before grabbing a basket and disappearing into the bowels of the store. Isabela loops her arm through Aveline’s and charges in after him. In the middle of her vigorous protestation, Aveline pauses to cry, “For the love of all that is good and holy, what the bloody hell is that?!”

Isabela’s cackling can be heard even after they’ve ducked behind a lubricant display.

Merrill giggles. “Well, I’ve spent all of my shopping money on candles again. But it can’t hurt to look around, can it?”

“Not at all, Daisy. Come on, I think those three need supervision anyway.” Varric glances up at Hawke and Fenris. “You two joining us?”

Hawke gives Fenris’s hand a squeeze. “Alright, love?”

“If we must,” Fenris sighs. “Besides, I find myself compelled by my own morbid curiosity to see what Anders is getting up to.”

“You’re evil,” Hawke snickers.

“Perhaps,” Fenris says innocently, and together they enter the shop.

Because it’s in the middle of a “family-friendly” mall, The Blooming Rose is definitely not designed like most sex shops around Kirkwall. The walls are a surprisingly cheerful lilac color and all of the hardcore toys are kept in a section far from the entrance. There are a few other customers wandering around the shop, tailed by assistants in bright pink shirts bearing the store label in silver glitter across the front. Aveline has undoubtedly made a remark about the tackiness of such apparel, but Hawke finds it endearing.

“I didn’t realize you had such an appreciation for sex shops,” Fenris says wryly.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think they’re kind of…cute.”

Fenris pauses in front of a dominatrix costume and eyes it skeptically. “Cute isn’t really the first descriptor I’d use.”

Hawke laughs. “Alright, the things they sell aren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, but people being comfortable with their sexuality is sweet. And good. Really good, actually.”

Fenris smiles at him. “That’s true, I suppose.”

They wander further into the store, passing a very red-faced Aveline desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the dildo Isabela is waving in her face. A few aisles away, an intrigued “ooh!” that very clearly belongs to Merrill is shortly followed by Varric’s warning: “I don’t think that’s meant for making tea, Daisy.”

Hawke is about to lead them over to investigate when Anders flies by, basket piled high with all manner of merchandise, the most conspicuous of which is a pair of fuzzy purple handcuffs. Hawke stares after him, shaking his head fondly. But when he turns back to Fenris, his boyfriend is gazing at the floor, eyebrows knit together.

“Are you alright?”

Fenris tucks a lock of pale hair behind his ear. “Does that sort of thing…interest you?”

“What, the handcuffs?”

The only response Hawke receives is a slightly embarrassed grunt. The sound tugs at his heart more than he suspects it was meant to. From the very beginning of their relationship, Hawke knew Fenris’s past sexual experiences limited what he was willing to try. And that has never once been a problem. But maybe somewhere along the way, Fenris has mistaken Hawke’s compliance as a mask for his dissatisfaction.

“Hey,” Hawke says, tucking a finger under Fenris’s chin to gently lift his gaze, “the only thing that interests me is being with you, in whatever capacity you’ll have me. And that means your comfort is my first priority. All the other stuff? That’s just extra. And none of it is necessary for us to be completely, one-hundred percent happy with how we carry on when we’re alone.”

At Fenris’s small smile, Hawke leans forward to kiss his nose. “And I, for one, am ridiculously happy. You?”

Fenris responds by drawing him in for a proper kiss. Hawke can’t see it, but he definitely feels Fenris’s smile pressing against his own.

Later on, when Anders has at last collapsed in a pile of his own purchases and Isabela has gifted Aveline with several items she’s already sworn never to unbox, Hawke loses track of Fenris in the costume aisle. Curious, he doubles back only to find him peering at a pair of black thigh highs (complete with lacy trimming and a bow on each side, Hawke notes; his coat suddenly feels a bit too warm). At first Hawke thinks Fenris is about to make a comment on the ridiculous pricing or perhaps suggest they call over Isabela. But no, he’s considering the stockings with interest.

“These are nice,” Fenris remarks when he senses Hawke hovering nearby. Tentatively, he reaches out to touch the fabric.

“You…want to wear those?” Hawke asks dumbly.

Fenris is already blushing at the tips of his ears, and it’s quickly spreading across his cheeks. But when he finally faces Hawke, there’s confidence in his voice as he says, “I think they’d be very flattering, don’t you?”

Hawke knows better than to give a simple “yes” or “no”. If Fenris wants something like this, it’s completely up to him. The question is purely rhetorical. But this doesn’t stop Hawke from sidling up beside Fenris and wrapping his arms around his waist in reply.

“I think,” he says in a low voice, “if you buy those, we’ll have to go home a bit early today.”

“You’re right,” Fenris agrees. “You look pale all of the sudden. Might be catching a cold.”

“I shouldn’t make myself worse by staying out much longer.”

“A weekend’s rest is definitely in order.”

“Absolutely no visitors.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want our friends to catch it, too.”

Hawke turns Fenris around in his arms and grins. “I like the way you think.” He gestures at the hosiery. “In just about every circumstance, I’m learning.”

Fenris takes his hand and starts leading him to the cash register. “And when we get home,” he adds with a wink, “perhaps you’ll show me just how much.”


End file.
